Railway signal-torpedo



E. c. PFEIL AND H. 0. BEMISDERFER.

RAILWAY SIGNAL TORPEDO.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. I917.

Patented June 15, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

E. C. PFEIL AND H. 0. BEMISDERFER.

' RAILWAY SIGNAL TORPEDO.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.28. I917:

' Patented June 15, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 11 I l I I pedo is-to so UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER o. PFEIL, 0F FOSTORIA, OHIO,

INDIANA, ASSIGNORS 'ro CENTRAL RAILWAY AND HARVEY O. BEMIS DERFER, OF HAMMOND,

RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SIGNAL-TORIEDO.

Patented June 15, 1920.

Application filed March 28, 1917. SerialNo. 158,005.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELMER'C. PFEIL, of Fostoria, in the county of Seneca and State of Ohio, and HARVEY O, BnMrsoERrnR, of Hammond, in the countyof Lake and State of Indiana, citizens of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway Signal-Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

his invention relates to improvements in railway signal torpedoes and it pertains to a torpedo composed of cup-shaped members placed one within the other and secured in position in the mannerhereinafter explained.

The torpedo is of the non-flying type and is composed of paper or fibrous material, whereby there. are no parts of the case to: fly when the torpedo is exploded.

Theprimary object ofthis improved torconstructthe outer paper cupshaped member thatit serves: to hold the inner member therein, and to also hold a memberor disk to which the rail engaging strap is attached, the whole structure producing a non-flying, paper torpedo which is efficient in structure, and water-proof in character.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is an inverted perspective view of the torpedo which shows one embodiment of the present improvement.

Fig. 2 is a-transverse sectional view taken throughthe center of Fig. 1..

Fig.3 is'a' sectional view of atorpedo showing a slight modification thereof inthat the the explosive compound.

Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view showing a .metal strap carryingv member.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of Fig. 4. f

Fig. 6-is an enlarged sectional view show.- ing the manner of crimping or turning-inthe wallof the outer caseas in Figs. 1 to .5 inelusive.

Fi 7,. isa side elevation partly in section sho' iug. a slight modificatin in respect t'o the formation of'the inturned flange or wall of-the outer case.

F ig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but taken at right angles to that figure.

Fig. 9 is an invertedplan view of the torpedo showing a modification in that the inturned flange of .the outer case is radially slitted.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of Fig. 9 shown partly in section.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation partly in section of a modification in that the inturned flange of the outer case is crimped or folded inward.

Fig. 12 is an inverted plan view In carrying out our present improvement, we provide an outer cup-shaped paper case 1. A second or inner cup-shaped paper case 2 is placed within the outer casein an inverted position as respecting the outer case 1. The explosive material 3 is placed within the inner case 1, and this explosive is preferably in tablet form as shown, but it may be in the form of a loose powder without affecting or departingfrom the spirit of our invention.

, The outer paper case 1 is made considerably deeper than the inner case 2, that is to say, theannular flange 4c of the outer case 1 is considerably wider than the annular flange 5 of the inner case 2.

or PITTSBURGH,

of Fig. 11.

After the inner and outer cases are placed in inverted telescoping position, with the explosive compound therein, the edge of the flange 4 of the. outer case 1 is turned inward as at 6, and more clearly shown in Fig. 6..

the bottom of the torpedo is provided with a water-proof cement coating 8. This coating may be placed thereon either bydipping the torpedoin the liquid compound, or by means of a suitable brush. I

This cement coating performs a double function, one being to make the torpedo water-proof, and the other being to stiffen and hold the inturned flange 6 in its looking position. As shown in Fig. 6 the inturned edge 6 is doubled inward until it is substantially parallel with the flange 4.

The amount of cement at the turned-in edge 8 need not be as thick as shown in Fig. 6, and in many instances the amount of cement as there shown is somewhat exaggerated in order to more clearly illustrate that specific part of the construction. e wish it also understood that the result would be accomplished so long as there is a sufiicient amount of cement coating to stiffen the inturned flange 6 and protect it from the softening effect of moisture and water. However, by having an amount of cement at the bottom of the torpedo sufficient to form a sort of a locking shoulder for the inturned flange 6, greater certainty of eflectiveness is obtained. lVe desire it also to be understood that sand may be incorporated with the cement without departing from the improvement.

In Fig. 3 a modification of the construction of the inner explosive carrying member is provided. In this modification a third inner cup-shaped member 9 is provided which telescopes the inner cup-shaped member 2 thereby providing an inner case which is closed independent of the outer case 1 The disk 7 serves to hold the rail engaging strap 10. As-shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the strap 10 passes through openings 11 made in the disk, the disk bulging outward somewhat as shown at 12.

In Figs. 4 and 5 a metal disk 7 and in this instance the disk has lips 13 which are bent gaging strap 10 to hold it in place.

In Figs. 7 and 8 there is a modification in the form or shape of the inturned edge of the flange 4 of the outer case 1. This consists in crimping the edge inward over the disk 7 as shown at 14 and holding it in its inturned position by a cement coating 15. In this instance the rail engaging strap 10 is secured to the disk 7 in the manner shown and described in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Figs. 9 and 10 the edge of the flange 4 of the outer case is crimped and folded inward and over the metal disk 7 as shown at 16, and is held in its inturned position by a cement coating 17.

In Figs. 11 and 12 the edge of the flange 4 is slitted as shown at 18 and folded inward and locked'in its folded-in position by a cement coating 19.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure'byLetters Patent is:

1. In a paper torpedo the combination of is shown stuck up down on the rail enan outer paper cup-shaped case, an inner paper cupshaped case placed within the outer case in an inverted relative position, an explosive within the inner case, and a strap-carrying disk on the bottom of the inner case, the outer paper case having its flange projecting beyond the strap-carrying disk and crimped inward in contact with the disk, the doubled-in edge of the outer case being coated with a stiff water-proof cement or coating for the purpose described.

2. An improved railway signal torpedo consisting of an outer paper cup-shaped case, an inner paper cup-shaped case placed therein and in inverted position, an explosive within the inner case, a strap-carrying disk within the outer case and between the bottom of the inner case and the flange of the outer case, the flange of the outer case being of suflicient width to be doubled in ward and backward upon the strap-carrying disk, and a water-proof coating for the doubled-in edge for holding it in its turned in position for the purpose described.

3. An improved railway signal torpedo comprising two paper cases, one an inner case and the other an outer case, each of the cases having a cup-shaped form, the flange of the outer case being wider than the flange of the inner case and doubled inward, and a cement coating for the doubled-in edge of the paper case to hold it in its doubled-in position.

4. An improved railway signal torpedo comprising an outer paper cup-shaped case, an inner case therefor made up of telescoping cup-shaped paper cases, an explosive within the said inner case, the outer case having the flange of the outer case doubled inward, a strap-carrying disk located betweenthedoubled in end of the outer case and the inner case, and a stiff water-proof coating for the doubled-in edge of the outer case for holding it in its doubled-in position.

5. An improved railway signal torpedo comprising an outer paper case, an inner paper case located therein, an explosive compound within the inner case, the outer case having a flange wider than the flange of the inner case, the edge of the outer case doubled-in substantially parallel to the wall of the flange, a strap-carrying disk located between the turned-in flange and the inner case, thereby locking the parts together, and a water-proof coating for the bottom of the torpedo, the parts combined as and for the purpose described. I

6. A paper railway signal torpedo, comprising an outer cup-shaped paper case, an inner cup-shaped paper case telescoping the outer case and placed therein in an inverted position, the flange of the outer case bein considerably deeper than the flange of the inner case, a strap-attaching member placed within the outer case and against the bottom of the inner ease and having strap-receiving passages, the edge of the flange of the outer case being doubled inward against the strapattaching member, and a strap threaded through the openings of the strap-attaching member and passing outside of the said turned in flange of the outer member when the strap is spread out for attachment to a 10 rail road rail.

' In testimony whereof We hereunto afiix our signatures in the presence of witnesses.

ELMER G. PFEIL. WVitness:

A. R. MARSHALL.

HARVEY O. BEMISDERFER.

Witnesses:

G. E. MQCLURE, G. L. HORTON. 

